A blistering lap from Klark Quinn has secured the McLaren 650S GT3 driver provisional pole position for the first of two CAMS Australian GT Championship races at Townsville this weekend.
The former two-time series champion set the pace on an improving circuit, his 1:12.8207 putting the Darrell Lea entry at the top of the table in a field which saw the first eight cars covered by a single second.
The Reid Park circuit clearly suited the McLaren, with Grant Denyer (McLaren Melbourne) in another 650S GT3 second fastest and Elliot Barbour (Beechwood/SLR/Buildmap) recording the fourth fastest time.
In amongst the McLaren trio was Roger Lago, the Queenslader steering his JBS Australia entry to third fastest in the opening qualifying foray.
It was the perfect response from Lago, who became a victim of the unforgiving Red Park circuit last year while racing a Porsche 911 Cup Car.
Three Audi’s featured in the top ten, James Koundouris getting the most out of the Supebarn R8 LMS to qualify fifth before handing the car over to Marcus Marshall for tomorrow’s second qualifying session.
Teams running a two driver combination this weekend will feature their second driver in tomorrow’s session, which will see 2015 Australian GT champion Christopher Mies on track for the first time since Round 2.
Nathan Antunes, winner of Race 2 at Townsville a year ago, will step into the McLaren he shares with Barbour while Craig Baird will climb aboard the race winning STM Mercedes AMG GT3 in place of Scott Taylor.
As the Reid Park circuit continues to evolve, Quinn expects stiff competition in tomorrow’s second qualifying session and predicts times will tumble.
“The track is getting better and better,” Quinn said. “There’s more to come tomorrow, I think pole will be a low 1:12 because the track will be better again in the morning.”
Qualifying 2 gets underway at 9:25am tomorrow (July 9) ahead of the first of two 60-minute races at 11:40am.
The weekend concludes with Race 2, starting at 11:25am on Sunday (July 10).
All sessions will be shown live on Fox Sports, Channel 506.
Qualifying 1 Result
| Pos | Team | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1 | Darrell Lea | Klark Quinn | McLaren 650S GT3 | 1:12.8207 |
| 2 | McLaren Melbourne | Grant Denyer/Jonathon Webb | McLaren 650S GT3 | 1:13.1534 |
| 3 | JBS Australia | Roger Lago | Lamborghini R-EX | 1:13.1860 |
| 4 | Beechwood/SLR/Buildmap | Elliot Barbour/Nathan Antunes | McLaren 650S GT3 | 1:13.4583 |
| 5 | Supabarn Supermarkets | James Koundouris/Marcus Marshall | Audi R8 LMS | 1:13.6109 |
| 6 | Direct Plasterboard Outlet | Nathan Morcom | McLaren 650S GT3 | 1:13.6141 |
| 7 | JAMEC PEM Racing | Tony Bates/Christopher Mies | Audi R8 LMS | 1:13.6478 |
| 8 | JAMEC PEM Racing | Steve McLaughlan | Audi R8 LMS | 1:13.8216 |
| 9 | Objective Racing | Tony Walls | McLaren 650S GT3 | 1:13.9349 |
| 10 | Modena Engineering | Ricky Capo | BMW Z4 GT3 | 1:14.0483 |
| 11 | BMW Team SRM | Max Twigg/Steve Richards | BMW M6 GT3 | 1:14.2572 |
| 12 | Hallmarc Developments | Marc Cini | Audi R8 Ultra | 1:14.2602 |
| 13 | Darrell Lea | Tony Quinn | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 1:14.3725 |
| 14 | Interlloy M Motorsport | Justin McMillan/Glen Wood | Lamborghini R-EX | 1:14.4246 |
| 15 | GT Motorsport | Greg Taylor | Audi R8 LMS | 1:14.7394 |
| 16 | Scott Taylor Motorsport | Scott Taylor/Craig Baird | Mercedes AMG GT3 | 1:14.8266 |
| 17 | Bondi Wholefoods | Ash Samadi | Audi R8 LMS | 1:14.8904 |
| 18 | Fastway Couriers | Simon Ellingham/Tim Miles | Audi R8 Ultra | 1:15.0014 |
| 19 | Performance West Motorsport | Peter Rullo | Lamborghini Gallardo | 1:15.3602 |
| 20 | Hogs Breath Café/Griffith Corporation | Scott Hookey/Mark Griffith | Mercedes AMG SLS GT3 | 1:15.3812 |
| 21 | Walkinshaw GT3 | Neale Muston/John Martin | Porsche 911 GT3-R | 1:16.1638 |
| 22 | AMAC Motorsport | Andrew Macpherson/Brad Sheils | Porsche 997 GT3-R | 1:17.1444 |
